Recirculating the Mash
I’ve been hearing a lot lately about recirculating the mash during the mashing process in order to get a clearer and better quality beer. There seem to be a lot of methods of doing this. I vorlauf after mashing out before beginning to sparge, but it sounds like some people recirculate DURING the mash. Does anyone on Brewtogether do this? If so, how do you do it, and do you notice a difference in the quality of your beer?
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I notice much clearer wort when recirculating. I like it because it saves me time. I used to vorlauf for 15 minutes or so after mashing out but now I don’t have to. At end of mash,I raise the temp on my controller, get it up to my mash out temp, hold it for 10 minutes, then start collecting wort in my kettle. No more vorlaufing has been great!
Like Jim said, you are basically volaufing the entire time the wort is in the mash tun, so recirculating saves time. If you’re using a cooler it probably doesn’t help you keep a stable temperature better, but it may distribute the heat more evenly. But no vorlaufing is the big thing for sure.
Unless you’re step mashing, I don’t see a particular advantage to recirculation during the mash. Yes it will maintain temperatures more accurately. But enzymes work within ranges and you’re fine with a cooler. With the exception of some lighter beers, clear wort after the mash doesn’t make a difference in the ultimate outcome of your beer. Do you already have fermentation temperature control? And do you already keg your beer? Because those things should come way before recirculation during wort production in terms of improving the quality of your beer.
I don’t recirculate my mash, but my cooler system holds temperatures extremely well. If I get into step mashes I’ll probably need to think about recirculation, but at that point I’ll probably be looking at upgrading my system to something a little more professional.
I have always been afraid to ask – what is HIRMS and RIMS? I think it has something to do with recirculation, right?
Don’t be afraid to ask, Amanda! That’s how we learn! 🙂
HERMS = Heat exchanged recirculating mash system. It works by having a coil immersed in a kettle of water that is temp controlled (can be your HLT), the wort is pumped through the coil, which maintains mash temp in your mash tun.
RIMS = Recirculating infusion mash system. This one works by pumping wort through an enclosed heating element, which is controlled by a temperature controller which maintains mash temp in the mash tun.
They’re two types of systems that involve maintaining the temperature during a mash actively rather than just relying on insulation like a cooler system.
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